CM5 with CM4-Nano Board and FydeOS Setup Guide
Components and Costs ~ £104 - £128.
- Radxa CM5
- CM4-Nano Board
- WiFi AC600 + BT USB Dongle
- SanDisk MicroSD Card
- USB Hub
- CM5 Cooling Heatsink
- JST 1.25mm Curved Pin
Setup Process
Boot Configuration
-
Maskrom Button Handling:
- The CM4-Nano boot switch must be ON for maskrom mode.
- If connecting it to a computer it shuts it down connect the type c cable before turning on the laptop.
- The boot switch must be OFF to allow the board to boot into its flashed operating system.
-
Flashing Images:
- Use
rkdevtools
on Windows. - If connecting the type-C cable shuts down your laptop, restart it while keeping the cable connected to enter maskrom mode without pressing the small button.
- Use
Image Preparation
-
Decompress Images: Use WinRAR to decompress
.img.xz
files to.img
, not the Windows ‘Extract All’ option.
- Tick ‘Write by Address’
Rockchip Boot Loader SPL File
- Download and use the rockchip Boot loader spL file for Rockchip RK35/88/82/S2/S: rk3588_spl_loader_v1.15.113.bin.
Compatible Operating Systems Radxa-CM5-RPI-CM4-IO
- Radxa Debian Bookworm: Download
- FydeOS v18 for RK3588S (Via MicroSD): Download
- Ubuntu: (Coming soon)
- Arch Linux Installer: Download
- Chromium 96 - Ozone OS: Beta version
Notes on Image Compatibility
- All RK3588S Images work on Radxa CM5 via MicroSD on CM4-Nano but not from EMMC.
WiFi and Bluetooth Setup
- Use Linux-compatible WiFi 5 BT dongles.
- Multiport USB dongles are the solution for connecting a mouse, keyboard, and WiFi.
- The type-C port only supports charging, not adding extras.
Temperature Management
-
Without Heatsink:
- Temperatures easily exceed 70°C.
-
With Metal Heatsink:
- Temperatures around 64°C, can reach 70°C under load, and 84°C under heavy work.
- Correctly applied pads keep temperatures below 70°C under heavy work.
-
With Heatsink and Fan:
- Not yet tested - I need a solution for this… a better decent Nano Board!
Issues and Solutions
-
Booting from EMMC:
- FydeOS boots from the Orange Pi 5 NVME Image on MicroSD but not from EMMC.
- Rock 5C images work fine on Radxa CM5 on EMMC.
-
Finding Suitable Metal Case:
- Suitable cases are hard to find and might be expensive.
Additional Resources
-
Project Discussions:
-
Interesting Case Project:
Summary
The Radxa CM5 combined with the CM4-Nano Board and FydeOS provides an excellent platform for creating a powerful, compact, and versatile computing device. By following the setup guide and using compatible components, you can achieve a highly functional system suitable for cloud gaming and other demanding applications.
Cloud Gaming is Beautiful for this System